Practical Innovation in Government

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Denmark’s MindLab and User-Centered Policy Innovation

Note: This chapter draws in part from an article we wrote for the Journal of Government Financial Management. We are grateful to the journal for permission to incorporate that material here.¹

Few things define the quality of leaders in government more, or have a greater impact on their constituents’ lives, than the nature and effectiveness of the policies they create. Unfortunately, leaders often lack the policy-making tools, techniques, and training needed to make certain their policies accomplish their intended goals efficiently. As Otto von Bismarck, Germany’s first chancellor, observed, “Laws are like sausages, it is better not to see them being made.” He was referring to the wheeling ...